Hello! Long time no blog. As the year draws to a close and I nestle into the holiday comforts, I figured now would be a good time to do a little reflection on the past year.
After much consideration, I made the difficult decision to leave my CS master’s program at UPenn, partially for financial reasons and partially to allow more time for my creative practice to co-exist with my very busy travel schedule at my day job. I enjoyed my time at Penn and felt I’d gained what I wanted to from the program. I continue to use the coding skills I gained in my work, and as inspiration for my art and writing.
Following my departure from Penn, my creative practice has deepened to incorporate much more research and writing--of both the non-fiction and creative varieties. I’ve begun work on a new series "Curiosities" which I'm using as a vehicle to explore dialectical relationships between various concepts in natural history, ecology, and biology (read: non-fiction prose + digital art), and “Planetary” a series of paintings and poems that explore the web of relations that exist in both natural and social phenomena.
It's also been a year of many important firsts for me. We moved, and I now have my first ever home studio. I participated in my first art fair (shortly followed by second and third art fairs), and won my first art-related award at the Ellarslie Open 40 at the Trenton City Museum. My first joint exhibit, with watercolor artist Margaret Simpson, will close at the end of the year. In the writing world, I joined the US1/DVP poetry collective and have been working on putting together a chapbook. More soon!
Now, looking to the future: I've been writing a lot...poems, two novels-in-progress, and a few short stories. I've also been busy in my studio. I have another joint exhibit coming up with Laura Beard, whose photo realistic depictions of local plants and animals give me chills, and I will have a piece in the forthcoming “Manifesting Beloved Community” show at the West Windsor Arts Council.
Most of all, I look forward to another year of experimentation, learning and growth, and hopefully more consistent blogging. Here’s to a great 2024!
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